FOUNDATION’S SYSTEM PLANNING FRAMEWORK Calgary’s 10-Year Plan
Phase 1 Create rapid, meaningful, and visible change
Building a homeless-serving system to
Phase 2 end homelessness
Phase 3 Fine tuning the plan for sustainability
-Calgary Housing Foundation-
lead implementer of 10-Year Plan Why System Planning? The goal is to build capacity More than 130 and improve services for agencies in people by ensuring that: Calgary were programs follow certain providing standardized practices, supports to budgets match the level people and intensity of the program experiencing or model, and at risk of homelessness. people are accepted into support programs that match their level of need. “ The intention behind the CHF’s approach to system planning is to use the information collected from a variety of sources and their feedback loops to create purposeful and strategic processes for decision making H - Annual research and public policy agenda, O - Annual strategy review
W - Consistent methods of data collection
(annual point-in-time count and HMIS), and - Committees and community initiatives ? R E S U L T System of Care A spectrum of effective, community-based services Calgary’s System of Care - Prevention - Coordinated Access and Assessment or CAA (Operationalizing Outreach, Triage, Assessment and Diversion) - Emergency Shelters - Rapid Rehousing (RR) - Supportive Housing (SH) - Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) - Graduate Rental Assistance Initiative (GRAI) - Affordable Housing (AH) Housing Loss Prevention A homelessness-prevention program is designed to target and provide short-term financial and case managed supports to individuals and families at imminent risk of homelessness before an experience of homelessness.
Activities include, counselling and advocacy including
information and referrals to available community resources, cash assistance to prevent eviction, linkages to more sustained support in the community which may include mental health services Coordinated Access and Assessment (CAA): A system-wide program designed to meet the needs of the most vulnerable and highest acuity first while ensuring all people who come into contact with the homeless system are assessed and provided with appropriate supports to exit homelessness. It creates an efficient homeless serving system by helping people move through the system faster, by reducing new entries into homelessness. When a client’s complexity is not assessed, or when the programmatic intervention chosen does not match their risk and resiliency factors, there is a higher likelihood of poor outcomes. Emergency Shelter An emergency shelter provides temporary accommodation and crisis supports. Emergency shelter program serves as the entry point to the system. Emergency shelters can participate in CAA in order to facilitate referrals to housing and support programs. Rapid Rehousing Are designed for people who are unable to end their experience of homelessness without support. It provides targeted and time limited financial assistance and supportive services to individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness in order to quickly exit shelter and obtain and sustain housing. Targets individuals and families who have the ability to live independently after a time limited rental subsidy and supportive services. 3 Types of Supportive Housing supportive housing: Provides case management and Place Based or housing supports to Scattered-Site individuals and families Harm Reduction/Low who are considered Barrier or Abstinence- moderate to high based acuity. Intensive Case Management or Assertive Community Treatment Permanent Supportive Housing A long term supportive housing model, without a length of stay limit, for people experiencing homelessness with major barriers and complex needs. People referred to a PSH program are considered to be amongst those with the most complex support needs. PSH programs are targeted for individuals who experience chronic homelessness and are highest acuity; they experience extreme difficulty exiting homelessness on their own due to multiple barriers in addition to housing cost and financial barriers. Graduate Rental Assistance Initiative (GRAI) A rent supplement program that provides financial assistance to households in need to obtain and maintain affordable and suitable rental accommodation. Designed for people who have been through and finished a housing and support program but who may still need extra financial supports. Affordable Housing Are housing units with rents considered to be below the average market rent for that unit size. Affordable housing is primarily income based and often provides no or minimal support interventions. Measuring and Evaluating the SYSTEM OF CARE Homeless Management Information Quality Assurance System (HMIS) Homeless Management Information System The HMIS is a web-based information technology system that is managed by the CHF and was modelled after similar systems in the U.S. HMIS facilitates the linking of clients to available programs and their criteria for rehousing, counseling, treatment, employment, etc. HMIS is critical to understanding the client needs and trends, but also to the design, implementation and coordination of rehousing, prevention, and housing intervention. Quality Assurance
The CHF has created a system-wide annual program
review whereby they interview frontline staff, case managers and management staff in each funded program. The CHF also undergoes its own annual review with its funders through quarterly and annual reports to the federal government and an in-person on-site review Learnings: 1 There is no such thing as perfection in system planning.
2 Client choice must be prioritized.
3 Challenges are opportunities for learning.
The success of system planning is dependent on community
4 support and continued leadership. References
Milaney, K. (2016). System Planning: A Case Study of the Calgary Homeless
Foundation's System Planning Framework. Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. pp. 483-496.
CHF. (March 2014). System Planning Framework. Calgary: Calgary Homeless